Japan’s Abe sees no summit hope with China, S. Korea

TOKYO: Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe on Monday defended his visit to a controversial war shrine, but admitted there was no immediate prospect of summits with his South Korean and Chinese counterparts.

In his annual New Year press conference, the conservative leader said he wished to directly explain to China’s President Xi Jinping and South Korean President Park Geun-Hye why he visited Yasukuni Shrine, which honours Japanese war dead including war criminals.